


Aurora Song

by avarand



Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka is everything, Daemons, F/F, F/M, M/M, The church is bad, Witches, gyptians, mild homophobia, obikin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 05:21:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12720453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avarand/pseuds/avarand
Summary: Anakin is eighteen and his daemon has never settled. He doesn't care, but the Church is taking an interest. His best friend Ahsoka is a gyptian who lives with her family on their boat and he occasionally gets visits from his Uncle Dooku. So life is fairly alright if not a bit too predictable. But when Agents of the Church show up to apprehend him and his Uncle, he's forced to flee, heading North towards a weapon and a destiny he knows nothing about.





	1. Leaving Jordan

**Author's Note:**

> Woo, so Star Wars and His Dark Materials are two of my favorite things in the world. However I'm not as good at world building as Philip Pullman is, so if you haven't read the His Dark Materials Trilogy (and you should! one two three go!), there are some things you should know. 
> 
> So first off are daemons. (pronounced demons). Daemons are part of a person. When a person is born the daemon is there too. They have a name and when a child can speak, their daemon is also capable of speech. They change forms throughout childhood and can take the shape of any animal. When a person is around 13-16, their daemon 'settles', meaning it takes on its permanent form. One that reflects something important about the person. It's forbidden to touch anyone else's daemon. It's an egregious violation. Unless done by lovers. Daemons can also have anomalies. In the books the author posited that 10% of people had daemons the same gender as they were. Most people's are not the gender they are. 
> 
> Second, The Church. The Church is the Big Bad here. They seek to control everything, including what makes daemons conscious. They're kidnapping murderers. Don't listen to their lies.
> 
> Third, the gyptians. Gyptians are a culture of people who live on boats, semi-nomadically. They have their own system of government and know everything there is to know about the rivers, tides, and weather. Practical, loyal, intelligent, they don't much hold with the Church. 
> 
> Fourth. Witches. Witches exist. They ride pine boughs through the sky and their daemons are always birds. Unlike most people, Witches can bear to be separated from their daemons by great distances. Normal folks die if their daemon gets more than a dozen or so yards away. 
> 
> Fifth. The Colleges. Colleges like the monasteries of old house knowledge and can be places of sanctuary for people. Anakin was raised in Jordan college under sanctuary despite not being a Scholar and only being a baby when his mother pleaded for him to be protected there. The Church is trying to get the monopoly on all knowledge, so they're coming after once protected colleges. 
> 
> Six: Armored bears. I don't even know if I'll include them in this but they're amazing. I know 'big polar bears that have intelligence, human speech, and make their own armor sounds cracked out' but they're ridiculously cool. 
> 
> Kay. Have fun.

The river beside Jordan College was perfect for sailing or canoeing. There had been a moderate rain the night before and the river was rushing by pleasantly. However Anakin was unable to enjoy the currents as he had to make himself presentable for Uncle Dooku. 

Once every two or three months his Uncle would stop by Jordan College to make sure Anakin was keeping up with his studies (he never was) and growing into a responsible young man (he really wasn’t.) But he still had to endure the questions of what he’d learned and how he was getting on. With one last wistful look at the river, he turned from his window and headed downstairs. The suit he had to wear on such occasions felt wrong and itchy, the tie much too tight. Still, he forced himself through the winding hallways, past scholars in black robes, and into the parlor room where his Uncle was waiting. Despite being his only remaining kin he’d never felt any filial affection for the man. 

He took a seat and accepted the tea that Dorme, part of the College staff, served him. Her daemon was a fierce-looking but mild mannered boxer who had always politely sniffed Anakin’s own daemon, Ashtala, who had taken the form of a malamute. Anakin was considered an anomaly. He was eighteen and yet his daemon hadn’t settled into a permanent form. Most peoples’ daemons settled by the time they were sixteen if not younger, but not Ashtala. He knew people whispered about them because of it but he didn’t care. He was happy with the way they were. 

Soon his Uncle, Count Dooku, was entering the room, three piece suit looking pristine and his Snow Leopard daemon Cresta a silent presence by his side. He took a seat opposite Anakin and Cresta sat demurely by his feet. 

“Nephew,” the older bearded man began, “I see your standards of personal grooming are the same as always.” 

Anakin fought the urge to run a hand through his hair. It was considered ‘undignified’ by his Uncle for men who weren’t scholars to keep their hair long and not tied back. 

“Wouldn’t want to give a man of your age too many surprises,” Anakin responded. 

Dorme came back in with a glass of scotch for Uncle Dooku, which he thanked her for. 

“And is his the form you’ve settled on?” Dooku gestured to Ashtala’s malamute form knowing full well she still hadn’t settled. 

“No. We’ll settle when we’re ready.” 

“The longer it takes the more people will become suspicious.” 

“Suspicious of what? We’re not hiding anything!” Ashtala became a long-tailed widowbird and sat on his shoulder. 

His Uncle took a deep breath and fixed him with a serious stare. “You are protected here at Jordan. But there are those in the Church who do not abide...abnormalities in daemons. They’ve gone after Witches and others where they can already. And the Church has been growing in power for some time. It’s imperative that you be careful. Pick a form and maintain it in public. It will be safer for you, and despite our differences, I do want you safe.” 

Looking down, Anakin knew that was true. But he’d hardly seen a Church official around the college. He also made a point of not going to services, but still. 

“I’ll try to be careful. I promise.” 

“Good. Now how have your studies in physics and history been progressing?”

Anakin discussed his interest in physics and glossed over his complete boredom with history as best as he could. He told his Uncle about particle fields and theories about atoms being joined across vast distances despite nothing physical binding them. His Uncle told him to keep his mind on more practical matters and eventually their meeting time was up. Later that night the Count was giving a presentation to some staff and senior scholars and wanted to rest first. Anakin felt no need for rest and rushed to his tiny room to change into clothes more suited for actually moving about in. 

Minutes later, dressed in brown trousers and a soft blue button up with his grey scarf, he headed down to the docks. 

“Do you think I should keep a form for other people so they think we’ve settled?” Ashtala asked from his shoulder, still a widowbird. 

Anakin wanted to say no, that they were who they were, but the Church was scary. Disappearances had been happening and Church officials didn’t like it if someone started asking too many questions. He paused on the winding stone stairway. “I hate it, but it couldn’t hurt. If you had to be one thing most of the time, what would it be?” 

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “Something intimidating. So no one would think they could just mess with us, especially not the Church.” 

“A leopard like Uncle?” 

“No. Something different...a wolf maybe.” 

“You do like running on four legs. And it could suit us.” 

In the next second she was a large grey and brown wolf with amber eyes at his side. He grinned. “I think this definitely suits us. Let’s see what ‘Soka thinks.” 

They made their way down to the docks where the gyptian boats were anchored. Anakin spotted the one Ahsoka’s family used right away. It was dark brown, the name Fulcrum elegantly carved and carefully painted into the side. It wasn’t the largest boat in the gyptian fleet but the gyptians built their boats according to necessity and family size. Ahsoka’s mother had died so it was just her, her father Plo, and a man they’d taken in from the north named Qui-Gon. 

Ahsoka spotted them immediately and came down the ramp, her Caracal daemon Sato perched on her shoulder. For such a large cat he kept his balance perfectly. Sato jumped down and he and Ashtala bumped foreheads in a friendly manner as Anakin and Ahsoka hugged. 

“How’d it go with your Uncle?” Ahsoka’s dark brown skin was dotted with sweat from the morning’s chores.

“Not too bad. The usual. I need a haircut, to be more practical about my studies, to not be a freak.” 

“Hey, you’re not a freak.” 

“I know. But he did say that now isn’t a good time to…” he looked around and whispered. “Attract attention from the Church. So for now, in public, Asha is a wolf.” 

“Gotcha. And hey, plenty people thought I was strange having a savannah cat as a daemon when most gyptians have birds or amphibians. But I wouldn’t change us. Or you. Come on, it’s been awhile since you saw Plo. He’s been asking after you.” 

Anakin and Ashtala followed Ahsoka and Sato up the ramp to their boat. Plo met them on deck, giving Anakin a hearty clasp on the back. His water moccasin daemon was curled around his neck, taking in the sun. 

“Ani, come into the cabin. You look like a young man in need of a beer.” 

Smiling gratefully Anakin followed them in, taking a seat around the small table. He absently stroked his hand through Asha’s thick fur. 

“Dad,” Ahsoka grinned. “Asha’s a wolf!” 

Plo offered a dark bottle to his daughter and Anakin and took one for himself. 

“A toast then,” he smiled, the scars on his face pulling a bit at the effort. “To Anakin and Ashtala. A wolf is a very fine form to take. Dangerous, intelligent, and loyal. May those qualities serve you well in life.” 

They all drank and Anakin felt like he was home. Nothing and no one at the college came close the feeling of security he had with Ahsoka’s family. Qui-Gon entered and Plo told him they were celebrating Ashtala’s new form.

Qui-Gon gave Anakin an inscrutable look and offered his congratulations. Qui-Gon’s daemon was a Red Panda named Pala whose black eyes often glittered with mischief. But Anakin didn’t actually know much about the man with the quiet demeanor and long hair despite the fact that he was part of the Tano-Koon clan. Ahsoka said he used to be a Scholar at some far away college and after a mission to the North for research went bad he changed course. However something about the man ate at Anakin. Something he was hiding. But if ‘Soka and Plo trusted him, then he would too. 

The afternoon wore on and he helped Ahsoka with chores around the boat, then they went into the markets. Neither had much money but the weather was pleasant and there wasn’t much else to do on a lazy afternoon. The stalls were busy as always, merchants shouting and haggling. There were more of the black robed Church Officials than Anakin had ever seen. After his Uncle's warning it made him nervous and Asha stuck right by his side. Perhaps his Uncle had been right. But what was the Church after? They already held all the real power on the continent. 

“Oi! Gyptian!” A portly man yelled at Ahsoka. She and Anakin both turned. “Think you can steal from me?!” The man’s face was red, his badger daemon hissing at his feet. 

“What are you talking about?” Ahsoka yelled back. “I didn’t take kark from you! I don’t want your fake gold necklaces anyway!” 

The merchant somehow turned even redder at that. Ahsoka had a good eye and if she said something was fake, it was. 

“You filthy gyptians, tryin’ ta take us hard working folk for all we’re worth! Liars and thieves the lot of you!” 

Anakin noticed that his best friend had gone from annoyed to dangerously angry. Her shoulders hunched forward and he had no doubt she was feeling the hilts of her daggers through her over coat. Sato had puffed himself up as big as he could and looked ready to pounce on the badger daemon. He wanted to support his friend but there was something eerie about all these Church Agents around. Before he could put a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder to try and deescalate the situation, another voice broke in. 

“Is there a problem here?” The posh tones weren’t threatening but Anakin knew what the Church was capable of. The man in the black robes of the Magisterium looked young to have such a position. He had reddish hair with a few strands of brown mixed in, cut short but not the nearly shaved look of new Agents. Still, he had the long braid behind one ear adorned with beads. His blue-gray eyes were calm but promised a storm if need be and the panther daemon at his feet looked like his stillness could break into an attack at any moment. Huh. Anakin thought the Church frowned on those whose daemons were the same gender as their humans.

“No problem,” Anakin said evenly. “Just a false accusation.” He kept Ashtala close to him his hand in the fur of her neck. 

“Well then, I’m sure we can solve this quickly.” The Agent smiled. “Sir, what do you claim has been stolen from you?” 

The thick man sputtered before answering properly. “That gyptian girl stole a necklace from me! Gold beads with a turquoise pendant!” 

“Well then, it should be easy enough to find out the truth. Miss, if you’d remove your cloak and empty your pockets?” 

Ahsoka was visibly angry at having to prove she wasn’t a thief but she also knew nothing was worth risking danger from the Church. She handed her cloak over to the Agent and made a show of pulling all her pockets inside out, then handing her coin purse over, a large leather container that she kept strapped to her thigh. 

While she was doing that Anakin took a good look at the man’s stall. Ashtala’s amber eyes must have caught something because she whispered to him. "There! Hanging from the corner of the table!" Anakin moved towards the stall and saw a necklace of the same description hanging from the corner, having fallen from the display rack. 

“Hey!” He called loudly, getting the attention of the merchant, Ahsoka, and the Agent. He held the necklace up. “It was over here. It looks like it fell off the stand.” And ‘Soka was right. The metal was cheap nickel plated with gold. He gave the merchant a subtle ‘told you you were an ass’ look. 

The merchant stammered. “You must have stolen it then lied about it falling!” 

“No, you must be embarrased after creating a show of calling out an innocent young woman so you’re doubling down on your lies.” Anakin ground out. Asha growled at the badger daemon who retreated behind her human. 

“No harm seems to have been done,” the Agent told the merchant. “I suggest for now you let these two go about their day.” 

The merchant nodded out of respect for what the Church Agents could do to people who disobeyed and Anakin was hoping to make a quick exit as Ahsoka put her gear back on. Sato’s hackles were raised and ‘Soka looked like she dearly wanted to kick the merchant’s teeth in. Had it been one of the brawls they occasionally got into when drinking in one of the city’s less reputable pubs, he would have loved to watch that. As it was he put his arm around his shorter friend and steered them farther into the market. 

They only made it a few steps before the Agent stopped them again with a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. Anakin turned, suspicious about what this man wanted. 

“We didn’t steal anything. Are we not free to go?” 

“Of course you are,” the man smiled. And Anakin hated to think that he had a nice smile. That it would be nicer if he really meant it. “I just wanted to talk. Are you from Jordan College? I noticed your scarf bears the logo.” 

“I’m not a Scholar if that’s what you mean. I just work there.”

“Ah, I was a bit confused as Scholars don’t often socialize with gyptians.” 

Anakin knew he should keep his mouth shut but he hated the insinuation. 

“Maybe they’d learn more if they did. When we had that flood last year it was gyptians that kept things running, not the Scholars who didn’t know what to do except cry that their robes were wet.” Ashtala was peering intently at the man’s panther daemon. Anakin glanced down and something seemed different about the large cat. 

“Of course, I didn’t mean anything condescending by it. I have to admit, I had another reason for wanting to talk to you. Your daemon’s eyes are quite striking. I’ve never seen an amber gold quite like it. Not in any real wolves.” 

“Five percent of the population has a daemon with a color anomaly. Just like ten percent have daemons who share their gender. I’m sure there are people at Jordan who could give you more in depth answers.” 

“So it seems you’re not just the help then. Most people don’t know those statistics.” 

“I’m not a Scholar but I’m literate. If you’ll excuse us, my friend and I have somewhere to be.” 

“Of course. It was a pleasure meeting you.” 

Anakin nodded and took off, arm still curled protectively over Ahsoka’s shoulders. Once they’d gotten far enough away and doubled back using a different route to the docks, she spoke up. 

“I hate Church Agents. Every instinct I had was telling me to just pull my knives out.” Sato was on her shoulders again, protective around her neck. 

“I know. There was definitely something off about him. At least he didn’t hassle you too much for being gyptian. And his daemon...something was off about him especially.” 

“Yeah, I thought the Church hated people with same gender daemons? They call them aberrations.” 

“Me too. And his interest in what I do or don’t do at Jordan. Uncle visited and told me to be careful, that Church was cracking down. I get the feeling they’re after something big.” 

“But what could it be? They already have all the power.” 

“I don’t know. That’s why I need to get back to Jordan and sneak into the presentation he’s giving tonight.” 

“You could just become a Scholar and then get invited to those things.” 

“And become some stuffy old man who can’t do anything for himself except read books that don’t matter to most of the population? I think not.” 

Ahsoka laughed. “Fine. But come by tomorrow and tell me if you learned anything worth knowing. We’re heading out to the North next week to trade for supplies so not sure how long we’ll be gone.” 

“I will. See you tomorrow.” Asha and Sato bumped foreheads once again and Anakin headed back to the college while Ahsoka went back to her father and their boat. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sneaking around wasn’t as easy as when Anakin was a kid. His tall frame made hiding much more difficult. But he managed to find out what room Uncle’s presentation would be in and there just so happened to be a wardrobe in the back of the room. It meant missing dinner but he snuck some sandwiches and set up camp in the wardrobe, waiting for the presentation to start. He’d be in a world of trouble if he was caught but life was more interesting with trouble. 

After an hour in the cramped piece of furniture, his ass going numb on the floor boards, his Uncle finally walked in. He took his time setting up the chairs and projector, opening bottles of brandy for the guests. He arranged the podium with his notes and donned his reading glasses just as more Scholars started to fill in. Anakin recognized Professor Tiin, who’d taught him physics and math. Professor Mundi who’d done his best to get Anakin interested in classic literature to no avail, Professor Kolar who’d taught him some useful bits of chemistry, and a handful of Junior Scholars that Anakin didn’t know very well. All in all there were about twenty five people in attendance. 

Ashtala had taken the form of an ocelot so she was small and could see in the dim light of the cupboard. She was sitting in his lap, still as anything. 

“Thank you for joining me tonight,” his Uncle began. “I know that this subject isn’t the safest under the current climate, but reason must always prevail over fear and superstition. What I have to show you is the work that I and my team have done to build on Rusakov’s contribution to the field of theoretical physics.” There was concerned muttering at that but his Uncle brought attention back to himself. “Yes, I know our colleague met an untimely end in the far North, but his work is crucial as is our continuation of it.” 

Anakin’s interest was piqued. A death, almost certainly a murder, and controversial research carried on after? He listened as hard has he could. 

“What I’m about to show you will be fundamental to our understanding of our place in the world. As you know, the existence of the Rusakov field necessitates the existence of a correlating particle. We have found that particle.” 

Anakin rolled his eyes at the pearl clutching all these men of science were doing. Just let his Uncle get on with it! He wanted to know about this particle. If it was like the alpha and beta particles Professor Tiin had taught him about. 

The projector hummed to life and on the canvas in front of it there was an image. It was a woman and a child next to her, but they were practically glowing. Off to the side, hardly glowing at all, was another figure, an adult man by the look of it. 

Uncle Dooku addressed the audience once more. "What you see here was taken with an ordinary camera but with a special filter, one of my own design. The light that appears around the woman and child isn’t a fluke, and I can show you many others to back that assessment up.” 

“Then what is it?” Came the question from one of the young Scholars. 

“It’s the Rusakov Particle. Though inhabitants of the far North have been aware of it for quite some time. Fittingly, they call it Dust. Given the nature of the particle, we believe that from Dust we come and to Dust we indeed return. The Rusakov Field and the Dust Particle are not simply one more discovery in science. They might be THE discovery. I theorize that Dust plays a pivotal role in the creation of daemons and the link we share with them. With part of our consciousness.” 

“That’s an absurd claim! How can you possibly say such a thing?” One of the Scholars yelled out. 

“Very simply. These photos capture Dust. It surrounds the child and the woman but not the man. In every photo, children whose daemons have not yet settled are covered in the particle. So are the wombs of expectant mothers. But not adults.” 

“Then what about the woman in the photo?”

Uncle Dooku smiled. “Again, an easy enough explanation. She’s a Witch. One of many we met in Svalbard. The daemons of Witches are different so the Dust particle doesn’t respond to them in the same manner.” 

Master Tinn spoke up. “If this is the Particle we’ve been looking for, then it’s only a matter of time before the Church realizes what it is too.”

“Yes, unfortunately I believe they’re very close or that they already have, given that they likely tortured Rusakov. What they will do with this information could be catastrophic. The reports of children already gone missing from poor families is disheartening. We know the Magisterium seeks total, unquestioned authority. Even now they creep into our colleges, claiming to take notes.” 

“Too many are afraid to fight. And they certainly won’t fight for a bunch of old Academics.” Tinn replied, taking a deep drink of his brandy. “And then there’s the prophecy of the Witches.” 

His Uncle seemed angry at the mention. “We don’t have time to toy with prophecies. There is a weapon that the Church fears. Deep in the North. And there’s only one way of finding it.” 

“None of us can reliably read that blasted thing well enough to find a hidden weapon when we’re not even sure what it is!” Professor Mundi objected. 

“Would your solution be not to try then?” That silenced the old Literature Professor. “Next week a gyptian vessel is heading North to a trading outpost. I intend to go with them and try to find this weapon. Do not trust new Scholars or Church Agents. Make sure your work looks to everyone like perfectly boring Academic research. You know your networks. Trust only them and if you are detained by the Church, give nothing away. We must stand strong. Now, I’ll be at the College bar if anyone has further questions. Jordan remains one of last safe places however even here, be careful of what you say and how you say it.” 

Anakin’s Uncle packed up his equipment as everyone filed out of the room, though his daemon Cresta gave the wardrobe a keen glance. 

Uncle Dooku paused and sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. “Anakin Skywalker, if you’re in that wardrobe I will personally assign you two weeks of lessons with Professor Mundi.” 

Anakin stood, rubbing his lower back and exiting the wardrobe. “But wouldn’t that be punishing both of us? I mean Professor Mundi didn’t do anything.” 

“Nephew, you’re practically a grown man. It’s undignified to be hiding in closets like a child.” 

“I know. But I had to know what the lecture was about and I knew you wouldn’t tell me! And if you’re going with Ahsoka’s family then she’d have told me anyway after the fact.” 

Anakin heard the sound of running feet outside the room and Ashtala quickly turned back into an amber eyed wolf. 

“Master Dooku!” One of the servants practically yelled, out of breath and eyes frantic. “There are five Church Agents in the foyer, asking for you.” 

Anakin’s Uncle was a man who had never looked scared in the eighteen years Anakin had known him, but he paled. 

“Call the College Master and tell him to meet me in his office in ten minutes. Tell him this phrase exactly: ‘Puer fuge nunc.’ Then tell the Agents I’ll see them as soon as I’m done with my meeting with the Headmaster. Understood?” 

“Yes, sir.” The servant and his basset hound daemon left as quickly as they’d come. 

“Anakin,” his Uncle grabbed both his shoulders. “This is serious. Once the Church has me, there is very little chance I will ever be seen again. It’s my intention to not let that happen, but the future is never certain. Come with me to see the Headmaster.” 

Anakin followed but was confused and the slight tremor in his hands belied his nervousness. It wasn’t a far walk to the Headmaster’s Office and he was already there, waiting for them. 

“Headmaster Yoda,” his Uncle bowed and Anakin copied the gesture. Closing the door to the office, his Uncle sat down heavily, Cresta nuzzling his leg. The room was small but decorated with rich mahogany furniture and deep red carpets. Busts of prior Headmasters sat along a shelf behind Headmaster Yoda.

“So, this time is upon us much sooner than we would have thought,” the ancient Headmaster said from behind his desk. 

“Yes.” He handed over the case from the lecture. “In here is everything I’ve learned about Dust. Burn it before you let them have it.” Yoda nodded, taking the case gently. Anakin had only really met Headmaster Yoda a few times. He had worked hard for his position as many believed that those from Asia should not be Scholars at prestigious and white institutions. He was small of stature and often quiet, but ask him about anything and he could speak at length about it. 

“And now I must sadly give you your own gift.” The Headmaster spoke softly. It took Anakin a moment to realize that Yoda was addressing him and not his Uncle. 

“What? I’m not the one in danger here!” 

“Actually, nephew, you are. I’m sorry this is all so rushed but the first thing those Agents are going to ask me is where you are. They’ll turn this College over to find you. I had hoped to protect you awhile longer but I cannot. I have tried to give you a formal education and a practical one with your fencing and combat lessons. But it seems as though I can do no more.” 

“I don’t understand! Why me?” Anakin felt like his world was turning upside down. 

“I was never honest with you about your parentage. I did it to protect you. Your mother was a kind woman. And very brave. She was also a Witch.” 

“But I’m a man. Only female offspring of Witches can be Witches.” The Church hated Witches but their male children? He supposed it made a kind of sense.

“It has to do with why Ashtala hasn’t settled. With some of the strange things you do when you’re not sure if you’re really doing them. The Magisterium wants to get its hands on you and you must not let it.” 

“A book your mother wanted you to have when you had need of it,” Yoda said, sliding a slim hardcover book with no markings over. “It is her journal. And we offer you another book in hopes it might help keep you safe.” The second one was larger, with a Latin inscription on the front. Two books were supposed to keep him safe? God, was he really leaving Jordan?

Yoda continued, pulling a package out from a locked drawer. It was a black box and heavy when he picked it up. Opening it, he found it thickly padded. But in the center was what looked to be a large pocket watch. Except it had three hands and dozens of pictures. 

“It’s an alethiometer,” is Uncle said. “It will guide you. Any question you have, you may ask of it. However learning to read its answers may be tricky. You must go now. I will stall the Agents along with Headmaster Yoda. Go to your room and pack as quickly and lightly as you can. Take less than fifteen minutes. I know you can get to the roofs from your room. Do so quickly and quietly and don’t go directly to the docks. Take the back alleys and keep your face covered if you can. Ahsoka’s family may be a safe bet but tell them the Church is after you. Give them that choice. I am sorry for this nephew.” The man stood and Anakin did the same. His Uncle had never hugged him but he did so now. “Be safe. May we meet again.” 

Feeling numb Anakin made for his room quickly but not so fast as to draw attention. He closed the door to the place he’d called his for eighteen years, not knowing if he’d ever see it again. 

“We have to pack,” Asha reminded him. Right, packing. He had some money saved up from odd jobs. Not a huge sum but it would help. The books went into his rucksack along with with clothes. He rolled his winter coat up stuffed it in the bottom. It wasn’t cold enough to need it yet but better to have it. He put his large personal knife in his pocket. The one Ahsoka had given him for Christmas and the kind all gyptians carried. Small enough to carry easily, suitable for wood work, basic repairs, and sharp enough to open a man up. His throwing knives went in the rucksack as well. He couldn’t take his sword so the knives would have to do. Clothes, money, books, weapons, alethiometer. He realized he didn’t have anything of sentiment here. He had his mother’s journal and he’d never known who his father was. The necklace! He dug through his drawer and found it. It was probably worthless but it had belonged to his mother. It was a simple leather cord with a strange pendant attached. Not metal, no jewels. Possibly a kind of wood. It was almost hourglass shaped with a spiral carved into the center and flowing lines spreading to each corner. This was it then. He tied the cord around his neck and pulled his jacked up so the pendant couldn’t be seen. Then last minute grabbed his lighter and cigarettes. He hugged Asha tightly, both scared of leaving the only life they’d known behind. 

Then he stood and she was a bird, much easier for clambering on rooftops. He opened his window and pulled himself up to the roof, using his booted foot to close it behind him. It was fully dark but he’d climbed across Jordan’s roofs more times than anyone could count. He made his way away from the front entrance and towards the back end where the servants quarters were. Getting past them would be trickier as they often stayed up late drinking and socializing. Having made his way to back end of the college, he embarked on the slightly more difficult task of getting off the roof. It sloped low here to accommodate the kitchen chimneys. Dropping from the ledge wasn’t the problem. Avoiding tired staff looking for a smoke break was. Asha became an owl, turning her head every direction possible and giving him the go ahead when a kitchen maid stomped out her cigarette and went back inside. 

He only ran into one more servant, hiding in the shadows of a large bush, he watched the man as he sipped whiskey he’d likely ‘borrowed’ from the kitchens. After that it was easy enough to find the broken part of the brick wall around the college and use it as a foot hold to jump over the last barrier of the College property entirely. Asha immediately resumed her wolf form. Turning down a random alley he picked up the pace. Uncle Dooku had said they could only stall the Agents for so long and he couldn’t go straight to Ahsoka and Plo. So he made a sharp right and few more turns and found himself in front of a seedy bar on the border on the poorer side of the city. He slipped inside and ordered a cheap ale, mindful of his money but needing somewhere to kill time and think. 

Slowly sipping the weak ale, he wondered what he’d do if he couldn’t leave with Ahsoka. There were so many agents in the city these days and if he was wanted, well, he had to find somewhere else. Plus while he trusted the Headmaster and his Uncle, someone at Jordan could have given him away. The Church usually got what they wanted. God, he hoped his Uncle was alright. Clearly he’d thought the Church had tortured and murdered Rusakov. And he thought the Church was taking children. The thought made him shudder. What purpose could that serve? He was certain it was nothing good. When his ale was empty he ordered another, making sure to keep jacket collar up. Should he cut his hair? He certainly had to go by another name. His wasn’t a ‘proper Church’ name so he’d need to consider one that was to draw less suspicion. He’d never thought of it but 'Skywalker'. God, with a name like that of course his mother had been a Witch. He wondered what Clan she’d belonged to. He very much doubted she’d been killed in a robbery like his Uncle had told him. There was so much to process. He wanted to hate his Uncle but he’d tried to protect him from a powerful organization that wasn’t above murder.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he swore he felt eyes on him. Ashtala had gone still beside him, echoing the sentiment. He took another sip of ale. Maybe it was just someone looking for some company for the night. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket and flipped the top open idly. If someone was looking for company they’d approach him. If not, he might have bigger problems. He calmly rolled a cigarette and lit it, the ritual soothing his nerves as he appreciated the drag of the tobacco. He could hear booted footsteps behind him. Okay, so honest approach. That was better. Then he felt Asha go from still to rigid. The stool beside him was pulled back and Anakin looked up to see none other than the Agent from the market. 

The Agent calmly took a seat and ordered a whiskey, neat. His daemon stayed on his left side, away from Anakin and Asha. 

“Surprising to see you here.” He said casually, wrapping long fingers around his glass but not sipping. 

Anakin knew he had to stay calm. He’d been getting in fights since he was six. He could do this.

“More surprising to see you here. I’m just enjoying a night out after a long day of work.” 

The Agent wasn’t wearing his severe black robes. Instead he was wearing a dark green sweater and grey trousers. He looked...normal. Like someone not involved with an organization who murdered people. The long braid was still a dead giveaway tough.

“Yes, I suppose there is the idea that those who work for the Magisterium spend all twenty four hours of the day glowering and taking candy from babies.” 

“Maybe not that, but I don’t hear much talk about them being seen in shit hole pubs at nearly two in the morning either.” 

The man laughed openly at that. Anakin found himself annoyed that he liked the sound. If the man accosted him he’d fight tooth and nail. 

“I suppose you don’t. I find I don’t have so much in common with my colleagues though. I hope your paramour is alright after being falsely accused.” 

Anakin nearly choked at that. “My paramour? She’d gut you if she heard you say that. We’re friends. Have been since we were in diapers.” 

“And how did two people from such different walks of life become friends from such a young age?” 

Anakin’s guard was up. “It’s what happens when no one knows what to do with you. Both our mothers died not long after having us. And I’m not from such a different life. I lucked out with a job at Jordan. Once they realized I was halfway intelligent the pay got better.” 

“Not so different from me then,” the man said, circling his middle finger around the rim of his glass. “My mother died and my father left so I was handed over to the Church.” 

Anakin grit his teeth, wanting to insist he WAS different as he would never kidnap a child or kill a scientist whose research was inconvenient. Instead he kept his calm. 

“To orphans,” he raised his glass. “May we be fortunate enough to find families in those who choose us back.” 

“I’ll drink to that,” and the man downed his whiskey in one go. “By the way, what’s your name?”

Anakin thought quickly. There was a handyman at Jordan near enough his age named Andrew. “Andrew. And you?” 

“I suppose I have two names. One my mother insisted I have and one the Church insisted I have. I am Ben to the Church. My mother called me Obi-Wan.” 

Perhaps it was the ale or the sadness in the blue-grey eyes, but Anakin found himself saying “I prefer Obi-Wan. It suits you.” 

That got something that looked suspiciously like a real smile from the man. 

“Tell me, Andrew. Are you a religious man?” There it was. The question that would end with him being attacked, hauled away somewhere. 

“I’ve been drinking, I don’t know you really aside from your profession, and I think those factors make my answering that question a very bad idea.” Asha raised her hackles beside him. 

“Fair enough. And if I told you I’m off duty and I don’t care enough about the spirituality of a handyman to tell my superiors anything about this conversation, much less explain my presence in this establishment at such an hour, would you answer?” 

Drawing himself up to his full height Anakin drained the last of his ale and snuffed out his cigarette in the ash tray. “A friend of mine once told me that if you don’t know the rules of the game, don’t roll the dice. If you’ll excuse me I have a job tomorrow outside the College and I really should be going.” 

“Of course. I hope we run into each other again.” 

Anakin nodded and was out the door. He knew the man was following him. In the same way he just knew how many people were in a home or if his Uncle was coming for a visit sometimes. He took every twist and turn he could, Asha staying a wolf and both of them hopping fences and taking absurd routes through the labyrinth of city streets. It took what seemed forever but he thought he’d finally lost the man. 

So he headed to the docks, keeping to shadows. This time of night hardly anyone was out. Sex workers didn’t make any money with gyptians and it would be another hour or two before the fisherman woke up. 

He found The Fulcrum easily enough and crept along the pier to it. He knew where Ahsoka’s room was and knocked several times on the side of the cabin. He was afraid she didn’t hear but then he heard three knocks in response and knew she was coming topside. 

She peered down at him from the rails of The Fulcrum, Sato with his paws also on the rails. 

“What in the nine hells are you doing?” She hissed. 

“Let me up. It’s an emergency!” She rolled her eyes but silently let the boat’s ramp down and Anakin climbed aboard, pulling it back up behind him. 

“What kind of emergency?” 

“Can we talk in your cabin? I don’t want to be seen topside.” 

“Yeah, come on.” Asha and Sato walked side by side, Sato nudging the wolf in a show of worry.

Closed off in Ahsoka’s room, Anakin told her everything. Dust Particles, Rusakov’s murder, not knowing if his Uncle was alive, the truth about his mother being a Witch. His Uncle telling him to hide because the Church wanted him because Ashtala hadn’t settled. Then about running into that Agent again and taking forever to give him the slip. Finally he dug the alethiometer out and showed it to her.

“It’s beautiful,” Ahsoka said, holding it in her palm. “Do you think it really works?” 

“Only one way to find out. Ask me to ask it a question that I couldn’t possibly know the answer to.” 

Ahsoka thought for a moment as she handed the device back over. “Alright. Ask it what kind of injury I got while I was working on Quinlan’s boat three months ago. I didn’t tell you about that one because it healed before we got back.” 

Anakin looked at the instrument in his hand, feeling a bit silly but going forward anyway. Staring intently at it he posed his question. “Three months ago when Ahsoka was working on Quinlan’s boat, what kind of injury did she get?”

For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the three hands began moving. The first one to stop stopped on the symbol of the helmet. Then the compass. Finally the last hand stopped on the hourglass. Anakin felt like he was in a trance watching it. And he knew exactly what the symbols meant, even though they all had multiple meanings. And the images appearing in his head...

He looked up, grinning. “You couldn’t see very well because he insisted on making the repairs at night and not wasting daylight with them. You were taking measurements to replace an old plank and you were so frustrated by the one candle you had that you slammed your compass down straight into your own leg!” 

“Skywalker, how the hell could you possibly get that from three symbols?” Ahsoka looked shaken.

“I don’t know, I just did!” 

There was a knock on the door. “Ahsoka. It’s four in the morning and I can hear Anakin in there. You had better open this door right now.”

Anakin stashed the compass back into his bag and Ahsoka opened the door to a very angry looking Plo. 

“Anakin, you know I think of you as a son, but what are you doing here at this hour?” 

“I promise I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t an emergency!” 

“Define ‘emergency’.” 

Anakin took a deep breath. “Church Agents showed up at Jordan. They wanted to take the Headmaster and my Uncle away. And me. My Uncle bought me time and I escaped out the roof. I laid low at a bar for awhile but I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.” 

“They really took Arastin Dooku?” Plo's face was serious and very sad.

“I think so. I had to leave before I could be sure. It had to do with his research. Then this Agent we ran into in the market yesterday found me at the pub. He followed me but I lost him. I wouldn’t put you in danger like that, I swear. And I...I think I have to go North. I know my Uncle was going to go with you but if you’d consider taking me instead I’d appreciate it.” 

“Why North?” Ahsoka asked. 

“Uncle said there was a weapon of some kind way out North. Something the Church was afraid of. Something I think I can find.” 

“Anakin,” Plo started gently. And Anakin knew he was going to get a lecture on being too young to go looking for unknown weapons in the North. “I was afraid this day would come, and I hoped it would have been much later on if it had to come to pass.” 

“Huh?”

“You’re Uncle and I were friends. And we have a common enemy in the Church. They want to control Academia and they want to end gyptians and our way of life. As single guardians, we promised early on to watch out for both of you if anything ever happened to either of us. Eventually he told me that your mother was a Witch. A powerful one at that. That sometimes you did things or knew things that you shouldn’t be able to. And when Ashtala never settled, we knew the Church would want you. I trust he gave you your mother’s journal and the golden compass?” 

“Yes I-you knew?” 

“We weren’t trying to lie to you. These were failsafes that we hoped to never have to use. Guard that instrument with your life. Can you read it?” 

Anakin nodded. 

“Then it’s yours by right. Don’t let anyone you can’t trust see it or know you have it. And of course we’ll take you North. Ahsoka, get some sleeping furs for our guest. He can sleep in. You still have to get up in a couple of hours for chores.” 

“Yes, father.” 

“Thank you, both.” Anakin said with solemnity. “I know it’s risky to take me on when the Church is looking for me.” 

“You’d do it it for us,” Plo smiled tiredly. “See you in the morning.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ahsoka’s family wasn’t leaving for another week or so, which meant Anakin had to keep his head down quite literally. During daylight hours he spent time doing as many chores as possible below deck. Since no one could see them, Ashtala took up less space by becoming a rat. It made her quick on her feet and helpful for the variety of menial tasks Anakin was charged with like sealing boards and cleaning. 

When he was a child Ashtala would delight in copying the daemons of adults. He was sure that if she’d seen Qui-Gon’s daemon she would have immediately wanted to know what being a red panda was like. He and Ahsoka had often played games to see who could copy another daemon best, or who could take the most imaginative shape. But mimicry and idle fantasy were games that children grew out of. And Sato could no longer change forms anyway. 

When he wasn’t working he went through the journal his mother left him. He’d stopped wondering about her years ago and now felt guilty for doing so. Being an orphan wasn’t an altogether unusual situation and he’d always had company at Jordan, not to mention Ahsoka and the gyptians. He may not have the darker coloring of the nomadic culture but he spoke their language, knew their songs and holidays, had learned to be a competent sailor and navigate by the stars from them. Plo was the closest thing to a father he had and he’d never felt sorry for himself over that. Plenty of kids around Oxford and out in London had it much worse than a room of their own room at Jordan College or a bunk on a gyptian boat. 

But now he had a connection to a parent who had cared for him. Who was a Witch among all things. He wondered how she’d died. Witches lived much longer than humans, many into their third century. To kill one would take extreme cunning and skill. He focused on the journal instead of how the woman who gave it to him had died, if she even had. He could have been reading into Dooku’s use of past tense wrong, but his heart told him she was gone. The journal contained personal entries as well as symbols and what looked to be a language he couldn’t understand. The entries were sporadic but did manage to tell a bit of a story. His mother’s name was Shmi, and like so many, he’d been an accidental pregnancy. He couldn’t find any information about his birth father’s name, only that she’d apparently cared for him very much. He found an entry one afternoon that was particularly interesting. 

“The Church must never know of this and neither can my Sisters. The Prophecy, the coming war, it’s too much to bear and my option are too few. I desperately wish to find a remote corner of the world and raise my son, but there is nowhere they could not find me. If only this child was a girl as I first thought then she would be raised in the clan. It’s been sometime since I’ve had contact with the human world but perhaps the Scholar Yoda would speak with me. He was kind to me during a time when I needed it. Sanctuary will be necessary and my heart breaks knowing I may never raise my child. But if he’s safe then everything is worth it.” 

God, he wished he could speak with Headmaster Yoda but going back to the college wasn’t an option. If the man was even there and not being tortured or worse by the Church. He wasn’t sure what to do with this feeling in his chest. He felt like he was suddenly aware that he was missing a piece of himself that had been gone for a long time. It was a phantom pain but a heavy one. He sat with this thoughts on the floor of Ahsoka’s room, Ashtala trying to provide comfort as a small cat. 

Ahsoka came in minutes later as though sensing his distress. “Hey SkyGuy. We ship off in six days. Wanna go out and have some fun tonight?” 

Anakin slid the journal back into his rucksack. “Out? If you haven’t noticed I can’t show my face. I have cabin fever just from being below deck for days.” 

Ahsoka grinned. “That’s the beauty of it. It’s that special time of year so you don’t have to show your face. It’s the Light Festival. You’d hardly be out of place with a mask since most people wear them. Plus you have the benefit of an unsettled daemon. Plo said he thinks it’s not a bad idea.” 

Anakin had nearly forgotten about the festival in all his self-pity. He had to admit, getting off the boat would be nice. He could feel Ashtala’s excitement as well. “Hell yes. You have the masks?”

“Of course I do. And half decent clothes for us. I can also work some temporary dye into your hair if you want. Or cut it.” 

“Dye is fine. We better get started if it’s gonna have time to set.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bye the time Ahsoka was done, Anakin’s hair was a dark red color and pulled back into a neat bun. (He refused to think of how the afternoon sun had caught the hair of the red headed Church Agent in the market.) Ahsoka had also put her hair up, her thick locks piled high on her head. Anakin’s mask was black with gold detailing at the edges while Ashoka’s was a muddy red, matching the rest of her outfit. Anakin was wearing dark blue linen pants with a tan tunic and a jacket. They looked like quite the pair. And of course underneath their clothes they were heavily armed with knives of all sorts. Ahsoka probably had small explosives stashed somewhere as well. Ashtala was a sparrow, unassuming and keen eyed while Sato sat proudly at Ahsoka’s feet. 

The met up with two other gyptians about their age who often traveled with the Tano-Koon clan. Aayla Secura and Quinlan Vos. Aayla looked breathtaking as always with her tight leather outfit and intimidating brown leather mask to match. It looked like something from the tribes up north, almost wolfish. Quinlan had his muscular arms proudly on display, his grey mask imitating the yellow tattoos under his actual skin. Once the four had exchanged greetings they made their way into the underbelly of the city where the real celebrating took place. 

The pub they chose wasn’t too far from the one Anakin had hidden in so many nights ago. Quinlan ordered the first round and it was predictably strong. “Have to get things started right!” His voice boomed even over the loud atmosphere. Anakin knew he couldn’t afford to get sloppy drunk, but slightly tipsy would be a nice change of pace. He danced with Ahsoka and Aayla, and even Quinlan at one point, drawing catcalls from the crowd. The Church of course condemned same gender relationships which made the display bawdy by some standards even though it was a perfectly tame dance. He felt eyes on him but shrugged it off as the spectacle he and Quin made. Everyone was masked and three sheets to the wind. No one would be looking for a red headed man at a gyptian bar.

They shouted with the other revelers, taking to the streets to appreciate the lights, drinking whatever was handed to them. Anakin felt free. Happy to be sharing a moment of celebration with friends as the very near future was so uncertain. As dawn approached Aayla decided they should go home. Anakin, having sobered up, had to agree. The four of them headed back to the docks, Quinlan and Ahsoka still singing loudly. 

Anakin trailed behind them, enjoying the night breeze and ready for a good night’s sleep. Suddenly he tensed, shoulders hunching forward and Ashtala peering around from his shoulder. He was being watched and he had a feeling it was by a certain Church Agent. His friends were too far ahead of him now and if the man was going to attack, he was going to defend himself. He spun, looking into the shadows, glad his friends were too far ahead of him to hear him call the person out. He had to keep them safe.

“Come out now. I know you’re there.” He already had his knife in hand. He crept closer to where he knew the person was hiding. “I can tell exactly where you are, and I’m a damn good throw with a knife. Come out now.” 

Slowly, a figure emerged from the shadow of the alleyway just behind the docks. He was right, it was the Church Agent with the panther daemon. Obi-Wan. His heart sank. He couldn’t go back to Ahsoka now. Not if it meant leading the Church to her and Plo. 

“Tell me why you’ve been following me and give a reason to not kill you right now.” He had his knife still poised in perfect throwing alignment.

The agent put his hands up slightly and walked forward, his daemon growling softly at his side. They’d already seen Ashtala as a wolf so there was no point in hiding. She took up her large wolf form once more, amber eyes glowing in the street lights. 

The Agent looked surprised but not overly so. “So it’s true. You haven’t settled.” 

“I’m not going anywhere with the Church. You took my Uncle and I won’t betray him by letting you take me.” 

“I don’t want to take you to the Church,” the posh tones called softly. “Quite the opposite. I need your help.”

“My help?” Anakin scoffed. “You followed me from that bar. You asked me invasive questions in the market. Now you’re following me again. I very much doubt you need me for anything besides taking me to your superiors.” 

The shadows and Anakin’s mask skewed his vision a bit but he saw the man reach for something in his coat pocket. It was a folded piece of parchment and the man inched closer, holding it out to Anakin. Reluctantly, Anakin pointed his knife blade down to take the parchment though Ashtala made herself as intimidating as possible, hackles up and growling at the panther daemon. 

He shook his mask to the ground and unfolded the paper quickly but carefully. There was a symbol on the top left of the paper, an odd geometric pattern that had shown up multiple times, more than any other, in his mother’s journal. Two double ended arrows with a four pointed star connecting them. There wasn’t much written on the paper. Only a few sentences which flickered in the poor light. “Find the one bathed in Light. Keep him from the enemy at all costs. I am sorry to ask so much of you when you know so little of me, but this is the most important task and I could only trust it to you.” 

Anakin glanced back up. “This doesn’t mean anything.” He practically threw the paper back at the Agent. 

“But it does. And you know that symbol don’t you? Because you should. It’s the symbol of your mother’s clan.” 

Before Anakin could think he saw red and had his knife at the shorter man’s throat. “And what do you know about Witch clans?” If he killed him here he could dump the body and sail away with the gyptians in just a few days. He hated the idea of killing like that but he couldn’t risk Ahsoka’s safety. He was surprised to note that the panther wasn’t attacking Ashtala, only growling and hunching in on itself. 

“My grandmother is a Witch. She wrote that letter, asking me to find you. Your mother was in her clan.” He was remarkably calm for someone with a knife at his throat. 

“My mother- I didn’t even know who my mother was until days ago. You show up after stalking me and what? Want an in to a family reunion?” Anakin was a bit hysterical but he felt he had an excuse. 

“No! We’re not related. I was supposed to find you to keep you away from the Church. But I need your help, too. I need you to get away from them.” 

“No one leaves the Church unless they die.” Anakin scowled. 

“Exactly. I need out. I was left there by my parents as I told you but I only stayed at the behest of my grandmother. My time of usefulness there has ended and I have to get out. They’ll kill me before long.” 

“Why kill one of their own? And what proof could you possibly have that you’re being even a little honest with me?” 

“You know as well as I do that I’m an aberration because of my daemon’s gender. It was only tolerated because I was useful. I followed orders and I rose through the ranks quickly. I did things for them that I’m ashamed of. But I did them in order to keep my grandmother informed. Now I know what the Magisterium is really after and why people have been disappearing. I have to get to a town near Svalbard in the North. I’m supposed to meet someone there. A Witch, I think. To let her know how to destroy a weapon.” 

“A weapon,” Anakin repeated. “The one the Church is after?”

“Yes! They can’t find it. If they do, no one will ever be strong enough to stand against them. Not Scholars or gyptians or Witch clans.” 

Anakin shook his head. This was insane. But for some reason he wanted to believe the man. “Say you’re not lying. How could I possibly help you? We’d be two targets running together. Easier for the Church to follow.” 

“They don’t know where you are. They’ve had Agents out everywhere, keeping an eye on the Colleges and the gyptians, but they think you went to London where it would be easier to disappear.” 

“London?” 

“I may have told them I saw you looking for airship passage that way. They want to relocate me there soon.” 

“So you want to come with me and the gyptians? You really think I’d risk letting a Church Agent near the people who treat me like family?” 

“I know I have no right, but I’ve done everything I can to take suspicion off your friends in the past week. The Church must be destroyed. What they’ve become is monstrous. Plus I know how they operate, how they think and how to get around them. I could help you. And I’d be outnumbered. If you wanted to kill me and sink my body in the waterways you’d have no problem doing so.” 

Anakin couldn’t believe he was considering this. 

“What’s your grandmother’s name?”

“Why?” 

“Because my friends know some of the Witch clans up North. If they recognize the name it might help make your case for taking you with us. Might. I’m not promising you anything.” He still had his knife mere centimeters from the man’s throat, forearm against his chest.

The Agent nodded reluctantly. “Lia-Nor Kenobi of the Mountain Ash Clan.”Anakin filed the information away, wondering if his mother really had been in that clan. “I’ll talk to the family leading the voyage and tell them what you’ve told me. But like I said, no promises. And I need a way to get in touch with you.” 

“I’m patrolling in the markets the day after tomorrow. Come at midday, near the stall where your friend was accused. I’ll find a reason to question you and you can slip me a note.” 

“You expect an answer to something so dangerous so soon?” 

An almost desperate look flashed across the Agent’s face. “I’m running out of time. Too many higher ups are suspicious of me. I’ve covered for you and others enough times for people to notice a pattern with me. Suspicion from the wrong people coupled with my...daemon status and it’s only a matter of time before they throw me in a cell I’ll never come out of.” 

Anakin could understand that, as much as he didn’t want to. “Alright. Day after tomorrow in the market. I might have to send Ahsoka with an answer. The girl I was with last time. I’ve been keeping below deck during the day.” 

The older man nodded. “Very well. Though with your change in hair color and the Church casting its eyes to London, you may be safe. Of course I leave it to your discretion.” 

“See you then.” He backed away from the shorter man and pocketed his knife, though Ashtala didn’t take her eyes off the panther daemon. Before he knew he it the Agent disappeared into the shadows and he was back onboard The Fulcrum. 

“Skyguy, where’d you go?” Ahsoka asked as Anakin paced the small room. 

“Someone stopped me to talk. Is Plo still awake? I need to talk to him and you. And everyone else who’s going North with us.” 

“Right now?” She ended her question with a loud yawn. 

“Yes. Right now. The man who stopped me was the Church Agent from the market.” 

Ahsoka swore colorfully in the old gyptian tongue. “Alright. I think Dad is up drinking with Kit. As far as I know it’s just our two boats going. I’ll get Dad and Kit. You get Aayla and Quin.” 

Despite the seriousness of the moment Anakin blanched. “Ugh. I don’t want to have to walk in on them again.” 

“It’s your emergency meeting.” 

“Fine.” Before he left for the neighboring boat he grabbed the oilskin pouch containing the alethiometer.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once everyone they could find who’d be going North was assembled in the common area on Plo’s boat, all eyes turned to Anakin. 

“Sorry to drag everyone out at nearly dawn, but a Church Agent stopped me tonight. He offered to help us get around some of the Church’s obstacles on the journey North in exchange for passage. He’s trying to leave the Church and what’s more, he’s trying to get to a weapon they’re looking for in the North. He wants to destroy it before they can use it.” 

“Someone in the Church knows about you then, Anakin. This is serious indeed.” Plo said, taking a sip of his brandy. 

“Yes. But I don’t think he’s told anyone else yet. And he wants out very badly. He has a contact in a town near Svalbard. A Witch from his grandmother’s clan.” 

“A Church Agent with Witch blood?” Kit scoffed. “If they knew that he most certainly wouldn’t be an Agent. What’s his contact’s name?” 

“He doesn’t know. But he said his grandmother’s name is Lia-Nor Kenobi of the Mountain Ash Clan. He showed me a letter from her with the clan’s symbol on it.” 

Plo stiffened at hearing the name. Ahsoka noticed as well. 

“Dad, do you know her?” 

Plo sighed. “I do. She’s been Priestess of the Mountain Ash Clan for a very long time. Probably longer than I’ve been alive. I met her once as a young man when my mother ran this ship. In fact she helped us quite a bit. We were taking goods for trading to the Armored Bears and the deal turned bad. They accused us of bringing poor quality metal which was a lie, but they needed a reason to break contract to buy from another supplier. One of them killed my cousin like it was nothing. One swipe of the bear’s massive paw and the light went out of his eyes, daemon disappearing into nothing. Lia-Nor and three of her clan threatened them with poisoned arrows and held them off while we got back to the boat. Once the Bears were gone they stayed on deck for a bit. Told us that that Bear Clan had been causing all kinds of problems and they were sorry for our loss. We don’t meddle in the politics of Bears or Witches but we do owe a debt to Lia-Nor and her clan. They even helped conjure a favorable wind for us to get out and to the nearest town to sell what we could.” 

Kit let out a low whistle. “So this man could be telling the truth. But if he’s not, we could all end up in Church custody. I don’t like those odds.” 

Ahsoka spoke up again. “But we do have a foolproof way of knowing if he’s lying or not.”

Anakin nodded and dug the oilskin pouch out of his pocket. “We do. Plo, should I ask it?” 

“Wait, ask what?” Kit interjected. “What foolproof way could there possibly be?” 

Plo sighed again and looked like he wished he had more brandy. “I haven’t told anyone this since the fewer people that knew, the fewer people were in danger. Anakin is in possession of an alethiometer. And he can read it.” 

“Is this a joke?” Aayla asked. “Alethiometers are practically myths. Even Scholars permitted to see them can only guess at their readings.” 

Anakin knew he had to let everyone know exactly what the stakes were. “I’m not just in hiding because it turns out my mother was a Witch. I’m in hiding because someone in the Church must know or suspect that I can read this.” He took the instrument out of the pouch and everyone crowded in to see it. “I don’t know why exactly the Church wants me but it has to do with all of it. With reading this and my mother and Ashtala never settling and some weapon that’s hidden in the North. My Uncle was going to try and find it before the Magisterium could, but they found him first. So now Plo is taking me North instead.” 

“Plo, we knew we were getting Anakin out of harm’s way but you hid this from us!” Kit was angry and Kit rarely got angry. His dark features contorted into an extremely unpleasant grimace. “We thought we were helping a friend and making a trading voyage. Not going on a mission against the most powerful institution there is! Hiding a person is one thing. This could get us all killed!” 

“I’m sorry, I only thought I was doing right with the information I had. I accept the blame for that. If you want to back out, we can go alone. We’ll still cut you half the profit of any trades we make. If we make it back.” 

“I’m in,” Quinlan said, standing up straight. 

“Quin!” Kit hissed. As captain of his own vessel, Quinlan was supposed to defer to Kit on issues regarding travel and trade. 

“It’s the right thing to do! We hate the Church! The only thing they want gone more than Witches is us! They’ve been trying to restrict our comings and goings for years now and we have a chance to fight back. I don’t know about this Agent but if he can help us, then we’ll need all the help we can get.” 

Kit sighed. “Aayla, what do you think?” 

Aayla considered. “We should have had all the information sooner, but we have it now. It’s scary to consider all the implications here, but if we can fight, we should. However two boats and a double agent isn’t enough. We should call for a full Council. Let everyone know.” 

Ahsoka’s eyes widened and she caught on. “Yes! Windu would be able to give good advice. And Quin’s right. We’ve gone too long just surviving under the Church as friends and relatives disappear. Even children are going missing now. It would take longer, but if we could get more sympathizers it would be worth it. Anakin’s my brother and no one messes with my family or my people.” 

Plo looked to Kit, a question in his eyes. Kit visibly deflated. “Yes, we send out word for an emergency Council meeting. One at a trading port in the north. We can stock up to make this voyage a longer one with more stops, give time for word to get out and people to get there. It’s time to fight back.” 

Plo nodded, pleased his friend would stand by them and proud of his clan for coming together. “Anakin, ask the alethiometer about his Agent of yours.” 

Anakin nodded. He focused on the compass in his hands and formed his question carefully. “Is the Church Agent Obi-Wan telling the truth about his intentions towards the gyptians and the Church?” The three hands spun and Anakin felt himself falling into the now familiar trance state. The symbols were chosen. The sun, the horse, the anchor. It seemed plain as day to Anakin. 

“He’s telling the truth. He’s honest about his intention to go north with us and find the weapon before the Church does. His grandmother is Lia-Nor and he wants to help her and us, and get away from the Magisterium.” 

“You got all that from three symbols?” Aayla sounded impressed but her facial expression was skeptical. 

“Yes. I don’t know how to explain it. Sometimes the answers are simple and sometimes they’re complicated. It’s like having someone whisper in the back of my mind in both images and words.” 

“I’ve asked him things he couldn’t possibly know and it works,” Ahsoka said in his defense.

“Alright, we’re going to head North with two fugitives and a magic compass.” Quinlan grinned. “This calls for a toast!” 

There was head shaking and murmuring, but there was a toast even though drinking brandy at dawn seemed strange. Kit raised his cup to the good fight and to standing with your people when it mattered. Plo raised his to protecting family at all costs and to preferring death on one’s feet to life on one’s knees. 

At daybreak Anakin finally laid down to sleep, head spinning with what was to come in just a few days. There would be more gyptians from the Tano-Koon clan joining their boats. Not many but it would be crowded. They needed to look like a properly outfitted trading operation, though of course everyone would be told what the real stakes were and given a choice. Then tomorrow they’d tell Obi-Wan he was allowed onboard. Then in handful of days they’d be leaving Oxford behind, possibly forever to join a full gyptian Council and then find a weapon before the Church could. Anakin would have to spend what little money he had left on a sword, he supposed. If they were caught by the Church it would very likely come down to life or death and he wasn’t as skilled with small knives as Ahsoka. He tried to calm his thoughts and think of this as an adventure. One where he’d do anything to protect his family and figure out what angle the Magisterium was playing. He could do this. He buried his face in Ashtala’s fur and drifted off, dreams filled with rushing winds and Witches on pine boughs, high above snowy dunes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter done! Kudos and comments are always very much appreciated, as is constructive criticism. Happy Holidays!


	3. Hoisting the Sails

After not sleeping much before the Festival of Lights and their surprise daybreak meeting, Anakin napped for a few hours, knowing he’d have to be in the market tomorrow to deliver the news to Obi-Wan. The Agent. It wouldn’t do any good to think of the man as a friend too soon. 

Which meant today they had to stock up to be ready to move tomorrow. Ideally, Anakin would deliver the message to Obi-Wan in the afternoon and they’d take off in the middle of the night down the river, both boats hoping to hit the ocean as soon as possible. So far no one suspected the Tano-Koon tribe of being involved with Anakin’s disappearance, especially thanks to Obi-Wan’s misdirection. So he’d stay below deck while the others got supplies and after nightfall, he’d go with Quinlan and Ahsoka to recruit a few rogue gyptians or freelancers. A journey like theirs was supposed to take a good amount of people to do the trading and hauling and since Anakin wasn’t officially living on board....extra hands were required. At least they had extra space between the ships. Travelling with three or four to a bunk got old fast so there would be more room than that at least. Anakin felt bad about the level of detail everyone was going to in order to pass this journey off as a legitimate trading expedition. If he ever came into any money, he’d buy Plo and Ahsoka the biggest boat he could. 

The remaining daylight hours were spent securing cargo below that the others brought in from the market. Dried fruits, flour, whiskies, sugar, knives, and coffee for trading. Parkas, heavy boots, and fur-lined clothing for the winter climate. He’d given Ahsoka the last of his money and asked her to get the best sword she could find for him. However she’d come back with something different. 

Instead of one longsword she’d brought back two short swords of different lengths. He didn’t even have time to be angry before she explained. “These are more practical for traveling. I know you’ve trained more with your fancy long swords, but any opponent can see one of those from a mile off and that’s not how we fight. And gods know we’ll have time to kill on this trip. Here.” She handed him the longer of the pair, which looked like a short sword with an odd bite to its curve and a mahogany handle, smooth and perfectly crafted. “This one hangs on your sword-hand hip. A cloak can conceal it or you can let it be seen as a deterrent. Now this one,” she brought up the shorter of the pair and held up a brown leather sheath for it as well. It looked older but well taken care of, the dark leather clearly well oiled and used to being gripped. “This is your shoto, your second hand. The sheath hooks onto the back of your belt so even with your hands up, this is at the small of your back and you’re not defenseless.” He couldn’t deny the logic or the thoughtfulness of the gift. “Ideally we’ll teach you to master using them both at once. Those plus your throwing knives and no one will question you being a proper gyptian.” 

“Ahsoka, I-” 

“I know, it’s not what you asked for, but everyone in Jordan knows you’re good with a foil and a longsword. I know you can throw knives and grapple, but if you’re going to pass as a gyptian you have to fight like one. The shoto, that shorter blade,...it was my mom’s. Take good care of it. And when this is over and we’ve won and gyptians have equality, give it back if that’s what feels right. But I’m giving this to you as a gift. I use my mother’s own short sword and I figure we’re practically related, so it makes sense for you to use her shoto. You’re the only person who remembers her like I do.” 

Instead of words, Anakin just hugged his best friend tightly. 

“Things are going to get hard, Snips. I can feel it.” 

“I know. But no matter how hard things get up there, we have each other. We’re not alone.” 

“Never alone.” 

Ashtala and Sato wound around each other at their feet as twilight turned to dusk.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anakin and Ahsoka had argued for a solid half hour about who would present the message to Obi-Wan and how. Eventually they decided they’d both go, that it would be done verbally to leave behind no evidence, and that Aayla with her daemon who was a ring-necked parakeet, would keep watch from a distance in case it was a trap. 

Anakin’s sleeping schedule was so off that he barely noticed the man in the kitchens. Until he turned into the ship’s main hall and saw the same man again. 

“Wha...how?” He had a cup of untouched coffee in his hand and was confused at seeing double first thing on waking. 

The man in front of him laughed. He had the darker skin of some of the gyptian tribes and warm brown eyes. “Easy, mate. Might wanna get properly woken up before you start wandering around.” 

“But you were right back there…” Anakin mumbled unintelligently towards the kitchens. Just then the same man came out of the galley! Well, not exactly the same. Whereas the man in front of him had black hair, the one in front of the galley entrance had dyed his short layer of stubble blonde. 

The blonde man laughed. “We’re twins, you wanker. I’m Rex. This here is my brother Cody. The Tano-Koon tribe offered us a job headed up North. Plo rand into us this morning near the coffee trader and we’ve worked together well before.” 

Oh, right, twins. God, he was never gonna outsmart the Church if he couldn’t realize the two men were identical twins. 

“Of course. I’m Anakin. Nice to meet you both. Sorry, I’ve been keeping odd hours. Not the best for staying sharp as soon as I’m up.” 

“No worries. So you’re the kid we’re trying to smuggle up North, huh?” 

“Um, yeah. I don’t know what Plo or Kit told you exactly, but I have to get up past Svalbard.” 

“Long way,” Rex said casually. “Not that we mind. And if it means putting a thorn in the Church’s paw, all the better.” 

“Not like we haven’t done more dangerous, or more stupid things,” Cody added with a grin. 

Anakin noticed their daemons were both German Shepherds. Odd for gyptians but not unheard of. Then he did a double take. Rex’s daemon had a blue right eye while Cody’s had a blue left eye. Cody’s daemon also appeared male. The brothers certainly made an odd pair. Such odd colorations, matching daemons, and one being same gendered to its human would considered bad luck, even among gyptians. But then, Anakin wasn’t one to talk about having a normal daemon. As a show of trust, Ashtala turned from a sparrow into a large snake, not unlike Plo’s daemon. 

“Wow,” Rex murmured. “It is true.” 

“It is. The Church wants me because I don’t exactly fit the pattern of ‘normal’. Later today I’ll be heading out with two of the others to collect our last passenger, then we’ll take off after sundown.” 

“Like my brother said, always happy to annoy the Church. Our own clan practically threw us out for not having ‘proper’ daemons ourselves. In the meantime, we’ll be getting this cargo secured.” 

Anakin was nodding when Ahsoka came bounding down the hallway. “Skyguy, you dressed yet? Daylight is wasting and…” Anakin had the pleasure of watching Ahsoka come to an abrupt halt and do a double take at the sight of Rex. Cody had already disappeared to the lowest cargo hold while Rex was hefting multiple crates of whiskey in his rather nicely built arms. Seeing that his best friend was tongue tied, he figured he’d do the introduction. 

“Ahsoka, this is Rex. He and his twin brother Cody are helping us out on this voyage. Apparently your dad ran into them this morning and offered them the job.” 

“Oh, you’re Plo Koon’s daughter! Heard plenty about you over the years from your dad. Says you’re something fierce with a knife and that there isn’t anyone who can fleece you in a deal.” Rex’s daemon was lying on her stomach in front of Sato in a show of both curiosity and respect. Sato sniffed at the German Shepherd’s face before bumping his forehead against hers quickly to display his friendly intent. 

Oh, this was too good. Ahsoka was damn near stammering which she never did unless caught sneaking out on one of their less than genius adventures. Thankfully she recovered. 

“It’s good to finally meet the Fett brothers. We’ve heard about some of your more impressive exploits, too. And thank you for taking this risk for us.” 

“Like I told Anakin, we have no love for the Church. Plo has always been good to us when our own clan wasn’t. Plus assuming we’re not all captured by the Church, shot with Witches’ arrows, or eaten by Armored Bears, we wouldn’t mind having a crew to call home.” He grinned as he said it, but those outcomes were all definite possibilities. 

“We’d be lucky to count you as crew. But um, Anakin. We gotta meet up with Aayla and see about getting our guest of honor on board. Quin is out with Kit securing one or two more hands.” 

“Right,” Anakin took a deep breath, new weapons secured at his hip and lower back. “Let’s do this.” 

They said quick goodbyes to Rex and Cody and Anakin made sure to keep his hood up with his reddish hair obscuring part of his face. Aayla followed them at a safe distance, her daemon Rhyson fluttering just above her head, pretending to enjoy the afternoon sun but keeping vigilant. 

The market was busy as usual. They steered clear of the jewelry vendor who’d accused Ahsoka of theft as the last thing they needed was a scene. Anakin was starting to panic. He couldn’t see Obi-Wan anywhere. What if he’d already been moved to London or the Church found out he’d been working with Witches? Was he being tortured somewhere? Anakin rubbed his hand through Ashtala’s strange mix of soft-and-coarse wolf fur. He’d be okay. The man hadn’t survived the Church his whole life to end up its prisoner now. 

“There he is,” Ahsoka muttered beside him. 

Anakin’s head jerked up and sure enough, there was the man in dark robes with reddish hair cut short. 

“We shouldn’t approach right away,” Anakin said. “Let him see us first. Less suspicious if an agent approaches someone first.” 

Ahsoka nodded and kneeled down to let Sato on her shoulder, taking comfort in the proximity of her own daemon. They continued milling about the market, slowly making their way towards Obi-Wan. He finally saw them and wasted no time in pulling them into an alleyway. 

“You two here to make trouble again?” His tone was rough but he and his panther daemon were looking around, making sure the coast was clear. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Anakin answered cheekily. “Just looking for some folks to lend a hand with a trading expedition.” 

Obi-Wan’s blue-grey eyes softened at that. Clearly he’d been scared of being told to stay away from their crew. 

“And when does this expedition leave? I assume you have a permit for it.” 

“Permit acquired, yes.” Ahsoka chimed in. Of course it was a fake but the Church shouldn’t be meddling in the affairs of gyptians anyway. “And we leave tonight, just before midnight. Want to be the first ones into Svalbard with coffee and whiskey for the season.” 

“I see. I-I am to return to my quarters and pack after my shift here ends in three hours. I have orders to be sent out to London before first light. I received word this morning.” 

‘Shit,’ Anakin thought. Three hours from now would only be nine in the evening. Well, as Plo always said, that’s why the old gods gave us the sense for contingency plans. He hoped Aayla wasn’t finding any trouble so far. “We can work with that. But it means you have to get out of the market and onto our boat now.”

“Now? How the hell am I supposed to manage that?!”

“This alley is as secluded as we’re gonna get. Here.” Anakin dug in his satchel and thrust a change of clothes at the man. “I’ll stand guard while you change. ‘Soka will distract the nearest merchant.” 

“Are you serious?! I have one of the most recognizable daemons in this market! I’ll be seen!” 

“You do, I don’t. Ashtala will walk beside you as a perfectly average tabby cat daemon. We brought a satchel big enough for your daemon just in case. Between the two of us we can carry him and it’ll look like we’re just hauling a buy from the market back home. I promise I would never directly touch you’re daemon. I would never violate someone that way. We have a friend nearby whose parakeet can fly near me once we get close enough. From there we’re only a few minutes from the docks and no one will look twice at a group of gyptians loading cargo onto a boat.”

“You thought this whole absurd plan through for me? I’m...Thank you.” 

Anakin did not blush. The sun was just warming his face. “Don’t thank us until we’ve pulled it off.” 

Obi-Wan turned to his daemon. “Salanyx, is this okay with you?” The panther nodded and that seemed to be the end of the discussion. Anakin turned to allow Obi-Wan some privacy while he shed the heavy black church robes and changed into the linen trousers and tunic they’d provided. They’d even brought thick leather arm guards, a dagger, and a cowl so that the now-former Agent looked the part of gyptian. 

Ahsoka was doing a fine job of pretending to be outraged with the prices of the spice merchant near the alley entrance, raising her voice enough to sell the act but not enough to draw attention. 

Anakin stuffed the black robes into his own bag so as not to leave any evidence. Then he stood and got his first look at the Obi-Wan who wasn’t an operative of the Magisterium. It honestly left him a bit speechless. Under those god awful robes he had an impressively toned figure and his eyes seemed brighter under the grey cowl. He still looked like a man who knew how to handle himself, but in a way that was much more appealing than hiding behind Church garb. “Wait, one more thing,” Anakin insisted. He reached for his prized gyptian knife and slowly approached Obi-Wan. He took the braid, the sign of all Agents still not considered Masters in the Church, and carefully cut it where it began, just behind Obi-Wan’s right ear. “There.” It said something that Obi-Wan didn’t try and hit him when Anakin had moved towards his face with a knife. “Much better.” This close it was easy to see how long the other man’s eyelashes were.

Right. Moving. They had to get moving. He handed the braid to Obi-Wan, figuring it was his to do with as he pleased. Then he dropped the large satchel on the ground and Salanyx climbed in as Obi-Wan zipped it up. 

“I’ll take one end of the handle and you take the other? It’ll probably be more comfortable for him that way.” Obi-Wan nodded and they were off. 

Ahsoka saw them and immediately backed off the spice vendor, leaving a confused expression on the woman’s face. They made it through the market unmolested and Aayla followed them at a respectable distance. Once they had finally boarded the Fulcrum Anakin wasted no time in showing Obi-Wan to his cabin. It wasn’t much and he may have to share it depending on how many crew they ended up leaving with, but it wasn’t the Church. Ahsoka had gone to the cargo hold to see if Rex and Cody needed help and Plo was making preparations to set sail. Which left Anakin alone in a small room with Obi-Wan and Salanyx. Ashtala was a fox, tail curled around herself at Anakin’s feet. 

“I guess we weren’t properly introduced before. I’m Anakin Skywalker, though I’m guessing you knew that. My friend is Ahsoka. We’ll try and leave after dark but before midnight if we can. Just two boats and I don’t know if Kit, the other boat’s captain, found any other gyptians to take on or not. We got you some winter gear that should fit for when we hit the proper North. And Quin can probably make you a half decent jacket out of those Church robes.” 

“Thank you for taking me on. I mean it. You didn’t have to risk this.” 

“And Plo doesn’t have to risk taking me North. But when you know what the right thing is, I guess you have to try. The gyptians are the only family I’ve ever had and the Church would destroy them if they could. They probably will if they get the chance. And the Witches and the Armored Bears. Anyone who’s different unless they can be used as a weapon they’d just murder. Maybe we can do something about it. Speaking of, we’re taking a detour before going North. Can’t give you any details until we hit the water but don’t worry, you’ll be safe.” 

“Well, thank you again. We’ll try to stay out of your way during the journey.” 

Anakin was puzzled by that. “You can’t live in this tiny cabin for weeks. Besides, if you want this crew to trust you, staying hidden away won’t accomplish that. Expeditions are social. It’s rare that anyone takes meals alone and sailing is a multi-person job. Plus we have music and drinking on deck most evenings. You didn’t think all that whisky was for trading, did you?” He grinned at that last part. 

“But I was with the Church. I have an abnormal daemon-” 

“Hey. You’re talking to someone who’s an adult with an unsettled daemon. And no one on this crew cares. One of the guys we took on also has a same gendered daemon. Sure, a few gyptian clans see things like that as bad omens, but not most of us and sure as hell not this clan. As for the Church thing, they also know you left and are trying to help us at great risk to yourself. This isn’t the Magisterium. You’re not expected to keep your head down and obey orders. Help out when needed and get to know people. That’s how you’ll get them to trust you. Everyone has a past life and things they’re not proud of. Why keep being Ben of the Church when you could be Obi-Wan who goes on voyages with gyptians?” 

Anakin hadn’t realized it but until that moment, he’d never seen Obi-Wan really smile. It suited him. Before either could say anything else, Quin’s voice called out. 

“Ani! Help stabilize the headsail!” 

“Coming!” 

“Anyway, make yourself at home or get some sleep if you need it. It’s gonna be a late night.” 

And with that Anakin was up the stairs onto the deck, Ashtala at his heels. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan sat heavily on the small bed in his cabin. Salanyx jumped up next to him, putting her head on her large paws. He’d thought for sure that he’d be told he wasn’t welcome on a gyptian boat, or just not given an answer at all. But they’d come with a plan to smuggle him out of the market and even secured supplies for him for the colder climates. They’d given him a weapon

No one had ever done something like that for him. The parents he couldn’t remember left him to the Church. Only his maternal grandmother, a Witch at that, had ever checked on his well being, and that very may well have been because he could be useful. He should tell Anakin that he suspected he was the one his grandmother’s letter referred to. The one ‘bathed in Light’ who must be protected. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but something told him it was Anakin. There was something about the other young man. Not just daemon but how...alive he seemed. He wore his heart on his sleeve and didn’t care that he did so. When he’d danced at the Festival of Lights in that god awful bar he’d danced with no inhibitions, just joy. His mistrust, earnestness, and mischievousness all came through in his eyes and his protectiveness of his family was telegraphed in the way he stood in front of them when he thought danger was near. Anakin Skywalker was like no one Obi-Wan had ever met. 

“You like him,” Salanyx said with a grin in his voice. 

“I-he’s intriguing.”

“That’s one word for it. We do share a mind you know. The Church couldn’t beat that out of us.” 

“No. Though they’d certainly give it another go if they knew what we thought about him though.” 

“Yes, but he was right. You’re not Ben anymore and they don’t own us any longer. Even if we don’t make it to the ocean, they’ll never own us again.” 

“No. Never.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahsoka wasn’t overly fastidious, but when it came to a trading expedition everything had to be accounted for. Not just the trading stock but the hiding places that had been built into Fulcrum, the ale and food rations for crew, the lists of initial costs versus price for profit, the math she’d worked out regarding how long you could hold a piece of trade goods until it was more of a burden than anything. Oil for leathers and weapons, extra canvas and ropes, patch kits for boards and sails alike, mapping equipment. This was her vocation by birth and she took it seriously. 

She was just making a final tally of the flour in the hold when she heard someone behind her. She turned quickly and silently, knife already in hand. 

“Whoa! Just me!” Rex said, hands up in the air. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, re-sheathing her knife. “Taking off in the middle of the night with two wanted men has me a little on edge.” 

“Understandable. Plo says we’ll eat after we hit the main channel and we should set sail in a couple of hours. Thought I’d see if you need a hand since you’ve been down here for awhile.” 

“Just finalizing our supply lists. I came up with a new formula to increase moving flour at a higher profit so making sure the math is at least kind of logical.” 

“Deadly and smart. Impressive. Think you’ll take this rig over from your old man some day?”

“Maybe. Might be nice to have the Fulcrum expanded, let my dad retire on the boat he loves and expand the clan. I had a lot more family before the Church came down on us.” 

“Wouldn’t know about that. Our clan kicked me and Cody out. Twins were already considered bad luck but with Dahla and Daxen...it was easier for us to just leave really.” 

Ahsoka pushed a tightly twisted loc of hair behind her ear. “Well, if you wanted it, I know we’d take you in as Tano-Koon. Besides, Dahla’s eye makes her somehow both more intimidating and really beautiful.” Sato bumped his head against the German Shepherd’s to echo the sentiment. Ahsoka couldn’t tell in the low light of the cargo hold but Rex might have been blushing. 

“Well, Sato is quite the handsome desert cat himself. Not that I’m trying to come between you and your boyfriend!” 

“My what?”

“Anakin. The two of you seem...close.” 

Ahsoka couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the product of a stressful day, but she laughed until tears sprang from her eyes. Rex looked incredibly nervous by the display. Once she caught her breath she explained. 

“Anakin is my brother. We literally grew up together. His uncle and my dad would leave us on the boat to toddle around with the other kids and my mom looked after both of us. We may not share blood but that’s a formality at this point. People always assume we’re a thing but...ugh.” She visibly shuddered to drive home the point. 

Rex was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Oh, good. Well, not good, just you know- I think Quin and Kit took on another crewman or two. Maybe we should go meet them.” 

Ahsoka grinned to herself and hoped Rex was staying on their boat.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Captain’s room on the Fulcrum, Kit introduced the two members he and Quin had brought aboard. They were both from the Erso Clan. Jyn Erso herself was there as well as a man named Cassian Andor. They’d already loaded the goods they planned to actually trade onto Kit’s boat and had been briefed on the stakes. It was actually good planning on Quin’s part to suggest the Erso clan as they did business together frequently.

The room was clearly not supposed to comfortably fit so many people. Plo, Ahsoka, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the Fett twins would be living on the Fulcrum. Kit, Aayla, Quin, Jyn, and Cassian would be on Kit’s vessel, The Tranquility. A full crew for a trading voyage as far as any outsiders could tell. 

Anakin had always been curious about Jyn. She was known as something of a rogue even among gyptians. (She had even named her own small boat Rogue One though she spent more time on her clan’s larger vessels.) She wasn’t an imposing figure but she had steel in her gaze and was faster with a pistol than damn near anyone. She and Cassian almost always took jobs together but no one could quite figure out what they were to each other. Not that Anakin cared to pry, of course. 

“I want to take the Rogue One with us,” she said abruptly. “It won’t be hard to tie her to The Tranquility and given the nature of this expedition, if someone needs to make a fast getaway she’ll be useful. She’s gotten us out of more than one unwinnable scenario on the channels before.” 

Kit considered this as Cassian’s Red Tailed Hawk daemon peered at him curiously.

“If it’s not far and you can secure it within the hour, then yes. Ideally we set sail in two hours.” 

“Done.” Jyn quipped and left the room, her golden eagle perched on her shoulder. 

Plo and Kit made sure all stores were accounted for, Aayla and Quinlan did a perimeter check of the docks to make sure no one was watching them, pretending to be an amorous couple out on a stroll. By the time Jyn and Kit had tied the Rogue One to The Tranquility and disguised her as a large life boat with a tarp, it was nearly time.

Below deck Anakin found Obi-Wan again. “Ready to leave being a man of the Church behind?” 

Obi-Wan stood and walked to a small window that was just below the top deck and Anakin followed out of curiousity. He fished in his pocket and produced the braid of hair that had signified his progress and station in the Magisterium. He found a small but heavy rock that had been tracked in by someone’s boots and tied the braid to it before tossing it out of the window. Turning back to Anakin he gave a soft half smile. “It’s long overdue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written anything in forever partly because of a shitty job and partly because depression just...took a fun little holiday in my brain. I think I went a week and left my apartment maybe twice. Could barely manage to eat and take care of my pets. Even on meds and with therapy, there's just no stopping it sometimes. Anyway, thank you for reading. If you could take a second to leave a kudos or even better, a review, it helps keep the depression and anxiety monsters away.


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